By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
It is more than a clubhouse. It could be considered a meeting place – or a centerpiece. Perhaps a staple for friends and neighbors to gather.
Or, as radio-man Ernie (The Fat Man) Brown, told the Northern Kentucky Tribune, “It is a Jewel in the Community of our City.”
The Fat Man was talking about the Villa Hills Civic Club (729 Rogers Road), the clubhouse that burned to the ground February 17, 2022.
“It was all about careless smoking on our back deck,” said Brown, who serves as President of the VHCC.
This weekend, the club is alive and well after three years of building from the ground up.
“The remodel cost was over $600,000,” said Brown who does afternoons on 107.6 and 97.7 FM, “and we pledged to rebuild it bigger and better without debt.”
They did, and there is a public Open House this weekend to prove it.
Brown said it was the community that got it done.
“It was donations that got us over the top,” he said. “When we needed a Bar Top, the Longhorns Baseball Team donated it. The chairs were donated by McHale’s Catering.”
And over 46 patrons donated $1,000 or-more in the newly-formed 1K Club, he said.
Why?
“Easy,” he said. “This place means a lot to the community. It’s a landmark.”
As for Brown, he got involved when he moved into the neighborhood back in 1986,” he said. “I took a break with my kids; and when the grandkids arrived, I came back. My kids grew up here.”
In fact, the Villa Hills Civic Club predates the city itself.
“Back in 1961,” Brown said, “A group of residents wanted their own community group. Joe and Helen Franzen were the original owners back then.”
A year later – in 1962 – the City of Villa Hills wanted to be incorporated.
“The VHCC loaned the city $500 to incorporate in 1962,” said Brown who not only serves as President of the Club, but Historian and Curator.
Presently, 367 families are members – with a cost of $50 membership per-person-per-year.
“Anyone can be a member,” Brown said, “But only members that live in Villa Hills can vote on Civic Club issues.”
The new VHCC has expanded from 2,700 square feet to 4,800 and an outdoor covered patio.
“The members wanted an outdoor place in the good weather,” Brown said.
The place, he says, gets crowded for Reds’ and Bengals’ games, so they’ve expanded that, too – from one TV set to 10.
“Those TVs were donated by the Spartan Youth Football Program,” Brown said.
The restrooms are sparkling new – all with handicap accessibility – four stalls in both the men’s and women’s.
But the one thing Ernie Brown found during the rebuild – a bottle of Ancient Age Straight Kentucky Bourbon buried in the walls.
“Apparently, it was the drink of choice for Franzen,” Brown said.
To keep the history alive and well, Brown took his own bottle of the same – and buried it in the bar area of the newly remodeled club.
Just pray there are no more fires.